During a recent interview with Thomas S. Orwat Jr. for the Rock Interview Series, Tesla bassist Brian Wheat will make an official statement with regards to drummer Troy Luccketta's (pictured second from right) status with the band. In September 2021, Luccketta opted to take some time off and spend time with his family. Since then, Steve Brown - the younger brother of former Dokken drummer Mick Brown - has been filling in.
Wheat: "There'll be an official statement soon... very soon. But no, he's kind of doing his own thing, we're kind of doing our own thing, and we're working out all that stuff.
Listen, I love Troy Luccketta; he's my brother. We all love Troy. It just came to a point where we just weren't on the same page anymore as to what we wanted to do. It's not like we had this big massive fight or anything. It's just you start out like this (holds two fingers close together) and then sometimes you go like this (holds two fingers wide apart), and that gap just got too wide. He said, 'Look, maybe it's better if I don't do this...' and we said, 'Okay, maybe it is.' He's out, I think, playing with The Guess Who or something, so it's not like he retired. So, to answer your question, Troy is not playing in Tesla. Will he ever come back? Who knows? We'll see. Maybe one day, but right now we're sorting out all the shit that you've gotta sort out. And there's no bad blood."
Celebrating their 36 years of entertaining rock audiences around the world, Tesla: The Las Vegas Residency have added five additional dates, beginning with Friday, September 29, 2023 at 8:30 PM.
Tesla: The Las Vegas Residency at House of Blues Las Vegas performance dates (Doors at 7:30 PM):
Additional shows include:
• Friday, Sept. 29, 2023
• Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023
• Monday, Oct. 4, 2023
• Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2023
• Thursday, Oct. 7, 2023
During their exclusive residency, Tesla will touch all sides of their unique discography including the heavier edge of electric songs like “Modern Day Cowboy,” “Hang Tough,” and “Edison’s Medicine,” as well as their acoustic driven songs such as “Signs” and “Love Song” (two Top 10 Billboard charting hits).
“We are very excited to be able to perform consecutive nights residing at the same venue because we plan to dig into our catalog and change up our set lists for each show,” said Frank Hannon, Tesla lead guitarist. “This will make it interesting for our loyal fans who will attend in the spectacular city of Las Vegas!”
“We, in Tesla, are very excited to be doing our very first ever residency in Las Vegas, of all places, where Elvis did his residency,” said Brian Wheat, Tesla bassist. “We look forward to bringing the legacy of Tesla’S music to you all!”
Tickets for Tesla: The Las Vegas Residency at House of Blues Las Vegas start at $59.50 plus applicable fees. Additional show dates will go on sale for the public Friday, March 24, 2023 at 10 AM, PT. Tickets are available by visiting houseofblues.com/lasvegas, MandalayBay.com, Ticketmaster.com or by calling 702-632-7600.
Citi is the official pre-sale credit card of Tesla’s residency at House of Blues Las Vegas. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase pre-sale tickets Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 10 AM, PT through Citi Entertainment. For complete pre-sale details visit here.
House of Blues, Live Nation and Ticketmaster pre-sales begin Wednesday, March 23, 2023 at 10 AM, PT.
The band will be releasing a live album this summer that will include "Time To Rock" plus others all recorded at Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis. Watch the official lyric video for "Time to Rock!" (Live) below:
Lineup:
Vocals: Jeff Keith
Guitar: Frank Hannon
Guitar: Dave Rude
Bass: Brian Wheat
